Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Financial Reporting Council

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to review the effectiveness of the Financial Reporting Council and its independence from the accounting industry.

lord prior of brampton: As part of its green paper consultation on Corporate Governance Reform, the Government invited suggestions on how the UK’s corporate governance framework could be strengthened and on strengthening the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) ability to monitor and enforce corporate governance reporting. The Government response to the consultation published on 29 August this year summarised the consultation responses and set out its conclusions and proposals which include giving further consideration to whether the FRC has the appropriate powers, resources and status to operate effectively. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with the FRC on these issues. The FRC is required to report formally to the Secretary of State each year and these annual reports are laid before Parliament for review by both Houses.

Storms

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent statements made by the World Meteorological Organization regarding long-term trends in relation to the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones.

lord prior of brampton: The Government has not conducted a specific scientific assessment of the statements by the World Meteorological Organization regarding the devastating effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on low-lying Caribbean islands and the USA, and possible links between these storms and human-made climate change. The mechanics of tropical cyclones and how they interact with our changing climate is extremely complex. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there is a greater than 50% chance that human-induced warming over the next century will lead to an increase in the frequency of intense tropical cyclones in some areas and there is strong evidence that increasing sea temperatures increase the intensity of tropical storms when they develop. Heavier rainfall is also expected as global temperatures rise because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. Additionally, rising sea levels increase the risk of coastal flooding as hurricanes make landfall.

Research: Finance

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of concerns expressed by the UK scientific community regarding future participation in EU funded research projects, what funds will be made available to UK research teams following Brexit.

lord prior of brampton: This Government wants the UK to be the go-to place for researchers, innovators and investors across the world. This is why we are increasing research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21, an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending, more than any increase in any parliament since 1979.We would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. On 6 September we published a future partnership paper on collaboration on science and innovation. As part of our ambition for a new deep and special partnership with the EU, recognising our shared interest in maintaining and strengthening research collaboration, the UK will seek an agreement that promotes science and innovation across Europe now and in the future.While we remain a member of the EU, UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds, and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Government will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This includes awards that are bid for before exit that are successful after exit.

Small Business Commissioner

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the commitment set out in the document Small Business Commissioner: Policy for Secondary Legislation, published in February, that the Small Business Commissioner's complaints scheme will formally begin on 1 October, whether small businesses may now submit complaints; and through what process they can do so.

lord prior of brampton: On 2 October my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State announced the appointment of Paul Uppal as the UK’s first Small Business Commissioner (SBC). Mr Uppal and his team will provide general advice and information to small businesses on matters such as resolving payment disputes, including signposting small businesses through the SBC’s website to existing support and dispute resolution services. The SBC complaints scheme is dependent on secondary legislation, which is currently being considered by Parliament. Small businesses will be able to submit complaints once the service fully launches, including complaints relating to issues from 1 April 2017. The office of the SBC will be operational by the end of 2017, subject to the will of Parliament.

Shares

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of public company share buybacks on the economy.

lord prior of brampton: In its response of 29th August to the Corporate Governance Reform green paper consultation, the Government stated that it will take forward its manifesto commitment to commission an examination of the use of share buy-backs by public companies. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will shortly be commissioning research to underpin this work. The research will consider the impact of share buy-backs both on executive remuneration outcomes and on investment by public companies.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the government of the United States regarding the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action through which Iran agreed to halt its nuclear weapons programme.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is a UK security priority. The UK is committed to full implementation of the JCPoA by all parties. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to report Iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments. The Prime Minister spoke to President Donald Trump on 10 October and met him in the margins of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September, emphasising on both occasions that the deal is working and is a UK priority. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, on 9 October and met him in London in September. The Foreign Secretary set out that the JCPoA is the only diplomatic means to neutralise the nuclear threat from Iran and that it is working. This message is being delivered to the US at all levels of Government.

South Korea: Olympic Games

lord moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the decision of the government of France that its Winter Olympics team will not travel to the 2018 Games in PyeongChang ifthat team'ssecurity cannot be guaranteed, whether they intend to apply an equivalent policy to the British Winter Olympic team.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our current travel advice to South Korea is unrestricted for all British Nationals travelling to or residing in South Korea, including the British Winter Olympic and Paralympic Teams. We advise travellers to remain vigilant about heightened tensions on the peninsula and urge them to register for travel advice updates from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as well as our Twitter and Facebook updates. FCO travel advice is under continuous review. The FCO regularly liaises with the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations in preparation for the games.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written AnswerbyLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 September (HL1520), what is their long-term vision for Venezuela.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our long-term vision is a stable, democratic and prosperous Venezuela. We are working to support that where circumstances allow, through our project working on priority issues such as human rights, democracy, counter-narcotics and climate change, as well as efforts to protect UK commercial interests.

Turkey: Human Rights

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written AnswerbyLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 September (HL1524), whether they have plans to ask the UN to conduct an independent inquiry under international law into allegations concerning torture and ill treatment in Sapatan and its surrounding villages in Turkey.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We do not have plans to ask the UN to hold such an inquiry. We regularly raise human rights issues with Turkish ministers, most recently when the Home Secretary visited Turkey in September. We consistently encourage the Turkish government to uphold the rule of law, to respect fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression and to adhere to its international obligations. Turkey has issued a standing invitation to allow inspection visits by UN officials.

Raed al-Salhi

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the death of Raed al-Salhi after a raid by Israeli soldiers on his home.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over this issue, we have regularly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defense Forces' use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the planned demolition of the Palestinian communities of Susiya and Khan Al Ahmar.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government remains gravely concerned about continued demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities including proposals to demolish the Bedouin villages of Khan al-Ahmar and Susiya. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa visited Susiya in August 2017.The UK has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to halt proposals to demolish Khan al-Ahmar. Prior to the most recently scheduled Israeli High Court hearing on the matter on 25 September – subsequently postponed - our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities on 24 September. The Foreign Secretary expressed our concern about the proposals when he met Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel on 8 March.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theymade to the government of Israel following its decision to seal off the West Bank and Gaza Strip from 4 to 14 October over the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Through our Embassy in Tel Aviv we have lobbied the appropriate authorities on the issue of movement and access. We continue to work closely with the Quartet and EU partners to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access.

Ministry of Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Community Rehabilitation Companies; and what evidencethey haveto demonstrate that part-privatisation of the probation services is keeping the public safe and turning discharged prisoners' lives around.

baroness vere of norbiton: We closely monitor and robustly manage Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments and deliver effective probation services. Data on CRC performance against service levels are published quarterly, with the latest data published in July: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-quarterly-and-annual-2016-to-2017. The first set of final reoffending data for offenders supervised by CRCs will be published later this month and thereafter data will be published quarterly. We have already taken action to change CRC contracts so they can focus on critical operational services, and we continue to work with them to ensure they protect the public and rehabilitate offenders.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals will be refunded employment tribunal fees, following the decision of the Supreme Court inR v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51; and what is the estimated cost of those refunds.

baroness vere of norbiton: We do not collect centrally information on the number of individual claimants and respondents who paid a fee in the Employment Tribunals. The number of fee payments received in the Employment Tribunals between 29 July 2013 (when fees were introduced) and 30 June 2017 is published at the following location: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2017-and-2016-to-2017. These statistics are updated quarterly.The estimated cost of Employment Tribunals fees refunds, including interest, is £33m.

Prisoners

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials are responsible for allocating sentenced persons to individual prisons; and who is responsible for ensuring that those sentenced are held as near as possible to their next of kin.

baroness vere of norbiton: There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison. Allocation decisions are taken by offender management units in each prison, with the number of staff in each unit dependent on the size and function of the prison. In taking allocation decisions, offender management units consult with a wide range of officials including healthcare staff, security staff, and the receiving establishment. Allocations decisions include consideration of closeness to home and family, alongside other factors such as time left to serve, categorisation, and the identified offending behaviour requirements set out in the prisoner’s sentence plan.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Universal Credit on the employment outcomes for families with children and other new claimants in full service areas.

baroness buscombe: Universal Credit is transforming lives across the country. People on Universal Credit put more effort into finding work and move into work faster. Record numbers of people are in work, unemployment is at a record low and once it is fully rolled out, Universal Credit will boost employment by around 250,000.The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect decisions to take up paid work or increase working hours. To help overcome this barrier to employment we increased the level of support for childcare costs within Universal Credit from 70 per cent to 85 per cent. This support is available to lone parents and couples who are in paid work regardless of the number of hours they work.Support for childcare costs in Universal Credit aligns with the Government’s wider childcare offer, in particular the additional 15 hours’ of free childcare available to working parents of three and four year olds from September and the gradual introduction of Tax-Free Childcare for working parents of children aged up to 12 and disabled children aged up to 17.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Transport

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their justification for the difference in application of the six-day standstill rule to (1) a red animal auction mart, and (2) a green animal auction mart; and whether they will keep that rule under review.

lord gardiner of kimble: Government applies a risk-based approach to standstill rules. All livestock present in the red market go directly to slaughter and are slaughtered within 48 hours of their arrival to an abattoir. There is a negligible risk that any undetected disease in these animals may spread to other livestock holdings. Ante and post mortem checks are carried out in abattoirs to ensure that animals that are slaughtered are fit to enter the food chain. In contrast, livestock auctioned in a green market may move to other livestock holdings, spreading any undetected disease that these animals may be incubating. In consequence, livestock moving onto a green market have to comply with the six-day standstill rule to mitigate this risk. This and other factors will be part of Government’s review of standstill in 2018.

Kielder Forest: Lynx

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussion they have had with the Scottish Government about the proposed release of lynx animals in Kielder Forest which straddles the border between England and Scotland.

lord gardiner of kimble: Natural England has set up a regulators’ group involving officials from the Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage, Defra, the Forestry Commission and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The group has met and discussed the application and will continue to liaise regularly.

Drinking Water: Testing

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make any changes to the sampling procedures for drinking water in England.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are currently consulting on changes to the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (England) 2016 and the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 to transpose the revised Annexes II and III of the Drinking Water Directive. We propose to introduce a requirement for samples to be taken and handled according to ISO 17025 and ISO17024, or equivalent.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Digital Economy Council

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the Digital Economy Council, announced bythe Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sporton 1 July; whether they will publish (1) its agenda for, and (2) minutes of, its first meeting on 3 July; what arethe dates of future meetings; and whether they have considered appointing a consumer representative to the Council.

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of their Digital Economy Advisory Group;what arethe dates of the Group's planned meetings; and whether they have considered appointing a consumer representative to the AdvisoryGroup.

lord ashton of hyde: We published the membership, terms of reference and frequency of meetings for the Digital Economy Council and Digital Economy Advisory Group on the Gov.UK website, link found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/digital-economy-council-and-digital-economy-advisory-group. The attached PDF file contains the information shown on the Gov.uk’s webpage. Agenda and minutes are not published to encourage a frank exchange of views during these meetings. These groups are only one of many routes to engage with us on digital policy. For example, we are committed to working with the public, industry, charities and academia as we develop and implement the Digital Charter.



Digital Economy Council Gov.uk webpage
(PDF Document, 300.46 KB)

Department of Health

Influenza

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their contingency plan for the delivery of health and social care services in the instance of a flu epidemic.

lord o'shaughnessy: Winter can often bring additional challenges, but this year planning started early and the National Health Service and social care services are more prepared for winter than ever before. The NHS is committed to ensuring all patients continue to receive high quality, safe and efficient care as demand over winter increases. This Government has invested an extra £6 billion into the NHS over the last two years, plus £100 million ahead of winter to ease pressures on accident and emergency departments, ensure system resilience, and manage demand. An additional £2 billion of funding has been allocated to local authorities over the next three years, including £1 billion for 2017/18 to implement best practice in discharging patients safely and quickly to reduce delayed transfers of care. Influenza vaccination remains the best protection against flu and should be offered to everyone over the age of 65 years, those who are at particular risk to flu, and pregnant women, at the earliest opportunity. Influenza vaccination should also be offered to all frontline healthcare workers. NHS England has recently announced funding to provide the flu vaccination to care home staff. This year, all children between two and eight years will be offered the nasal spray vaccine to help protect them and their families against influenza.